A Butternut Squash Tofu soup for your Thanksgiving table

Thanksgiving intro + Friendsgiving over the years + traditions & non traditions

Thanksgiving festivities are around the corner. I can imagine the conversations in so many American households around the Thanksgiving meal menu, the friends and family who are coming and those who are not, the travel chaos that may be circling, the sentiments of gratitude, the stress, the excitement, and much more. I can imagine this thanks to watching all this play out on television in countless Thanksgiving centered TV episodes and movies.

If you have been reading my former posts, you may have guessed that my Thanksgiving would not look like this as I grew up in my immigrant parent’s house. However, Thanksgiving is still a special day for my parents. They landed in the United States on Thanksgiving day over three decades ago. So Thanksgiving marks the anniversary of their immigration, of stepping foot on a land where dreams are achievable through hard work, of feeling a pang of nostalgia for their home land and the family they left behind, and above all, of new beginnings.

one of my first traditional Thanksgiving plates

Thanksgiving has looked different for me personally over the years. Growing up in my parent’s house, it mainly amounted to having more days off from school and work. We would use this opportunity to relax together as a family and take that much needed mental health break from our daily lives. When I went to college, I experienced Friendsgiving - a lovely ritual where friends who cannot visit family gather and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together. This was the first time I experienced what Thanksgiving is all about in person. I learned about the dishes that are served and savored everywhere.

My Friendsgivings tables would serve turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potato mash, pumpkin pie, and other delights. It took me many years to understand these dishes and learn what I like and what I didn’t like. In the initial years I did not like turkey, but later I realized that was because the amateur college cooks were drying it out. I did not care for cranberry sauce until I made it fresh one year with orange juice instead of eating the canned ones that was served. I disliked the the green bean casserole until one year I made a different version of it (olive oil sautéed green beans layered with generous amounts of slow caramelized onions and topped with slivers of almonds and hazelnuts). I have never truly enjoyed a pumpkin pie but perhaps that’s because I am not a fan of pie in general.

While I may not have enjoyed the food much in the early years of Friendsgiving, I was always thankful to partake in the gathering as it meant being together, conversing, connecting, smiling, and unwinding with friends around me.

one year I spent Thanksgiving on the tropical island of Hawaii soaking up sunshine

In my adult life after college, I have had ‘go with the flow’ Thanksgiving seasons. Some years I am invited to my friends tables and I cook a dish (usually my version of green beans, it’s a hit!). Other years my friends have hosted non-traditional Thanksgivings where I bring Indian dishes like daal makhani or gobi aloo or the famous appetizer bhel puri. Some years I have spent this holiday traveling to far away places and enjoying local foods instead of the traditional fixings.

a fusion Thanksgiving plate with traditional food and Indian dishes like daal and gobi

But most years I like to celebrate this holiday in at least a small way by making a thematic dish, writing down what I am thankful for, and counting my blessings. This year I created a Butternut Squash Tofu soup to mark my Thanksgiving.

one year I spent Thanksgiving in Ireland eating a delicious lentil soup & soda bread

Butternut Squash Tofu Soup

peeled and chopped butternut squash

Ingredients that should be readily available:

• Butternut squash: ~900 grams, skin peeled and flesh cut into small cubes

• Tofu: one 15oz-pack of silken soft tofu

• Aromatics: 1 medium yellow onion diced, ~6 cloves of garlic minced, 1 serrano pepper minced

• Spices: coriander powder, turmeric powder (optional: sumac, nutritional yeast)

• Herbs: ~1 tbsp each of dried oregano, thyme, parsley (I didn’t have fresh, which would be better)

• Optional: ~0.5 cup Milk or ~0.25 cup Cream (I always prefer milk)

Method that is super simple:

Softening: I use a potato peeler to double peel the outer layer of butternut squash, remove the seeds, and then chop up the flesh into small pieces. In a pan I sautéed the onion, garlic, and chili in ~1 tbsp of olive oil on medium-high heat. I added the squash along with ~750ml of water and some salt. I simmered this covered on medium heat for ~20 mins. Once the squash was soft, I added the tofu and the milk and simmered for 5 more mins.

Flavoring - I mainly improvised at this step. I added the coriander, cumin, and sumac. Then I found nutritional yeast in the pantry and decided to add that to boost nutrition (especially vitamin B12). I realized I made a mistake and should have added some ingredients during the softening step such as oregano, thyme, parsley, and turmeric. I added them now and simmered for another 5 mins.

Blending - I used an immersion blender and thoroughly blended the soup into silky smoothness. I also adjusted the salt and pepper to taste.

I served this soup with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and slivers of pickled red onions. The soup was more delicious than I imagined it would be. It was all around delicious and carried the underlying tones of Thanksgiving flavors for me. I can’t wait to make this again and I hope you will give this a try.

The sweetness of the butternut squash, layered with the aromatics and the spices, along with slight graininess from the tofu made for a hearty slurp in each spoonful.

Fun nutritional fact: This entire pot of soup yielded ~9 servings (~1 cup/serving) with only ~900 calories in the whole pot. So each serving is merely 100 calories - a perfect option to start your Thanksgiving meal.

Dish Debrief

• Is this my winner or disaster? winner

• How would I rate this dish out of 10? 9 out of 10

• What would I change next time? add herbs in the beginning, make variations with pumpkin or sweet potato

• Would I make this again? absolutely